The Doors
Other Voices

Spring of 1971 arrives, marking the completion of activities related to the forthcoming release of "L.A. Woman" which frees Jim Morrison from recording commitments, allowing him to leave the demanding professional life in America for a long break in the tranquility of Paris, Europe. The intention is to finally join his girlfriend Pamela Courson, or rather his cosmic companion always known from the days of the London Frog, the only one capable of guiding and understanding him like never before, perhaps because she was the person who most resembled him.

Just as Los Angeles represents "the City of Light", Paris is "the City of Night" where Jim can focus on his poetic writings and cinematography despite his fragile physical condition affected by depression, chronic cough, and alcohol dependency, which the Parisian love fails to heal. On the afternoon of July 2, 1971, Jim spends time with his former college mate Alain Ronay, while in the evening at Rue de Beautreillis 17 with his muse Pamela, he enjoys viewing the amateur videos of their travels filmed in 8mm during stays in Spain, Corsica, Northern France, and Morocco. At dawn the next day, Pamela finds him lifeless in the bathtub, still with wet hair and a serene expression imprinted on his face. On July 7, the body of the Doors singer finds final rest at the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, while on the 22nd of the same month, "L.A. Woman" is about to become a gold record.

Meanwhile, Ray, Robby, and John create and gather new material, assembling it at the band's laboratory, the "Doors Workshop". The idea of a new singer is set aside due to the inevitable comparisons that would be made (...yes, but he's not as good as Jim...), a bond that the four of them would never cease to exist, even with the end of the band. Ray - who, along with Jim, gave life to the Doors -, takes the group's fate into his hands, well aware that the prevailing atmosphere means anxiety and disillusionment dreaming of seeing Jim reappear in the studios with the innocent expression of one who had done another of his.

But reality is quite different; the three survivors do not change their working methods and bring out the tracks that give life to "Other Voices". The album clearly reveals how the absence of the historic singer turns into a transparent presence; an involuntary participation that the three adventure companions reserve for him among the tracks mostly composed while he was still alive. The music plays on the atmospheres of their distinctive sound, already established in the past with roots in rhythm and blues and numerous forays into rock'n'roll, favoring a more natural contagion towards more varied sounds, but at the expense of the creative glue inherent in the previous records.

The bluesy "In The Eye Of The Sun" has the arduous task of celebrating the breaking of the silence without shame or praise, and it succeeds without letting the dominant electric piano weigh too heavily, which blends well with Krieger's sharp wah wah. The lightness of the rhythm and blues in "Variety Is The Spice Of Life" (sung by Krieger) conveys lighter feelings, as does the country flavor which surprisingly expresses itself during the listening of "Down On The Farm" - which was avoided inclusion in "L.A. Woman" -, apparently due to Morrison's explicit disapproval. The blues origin of "I'm Horny I'm Stoned", created and sung by Krieger, is the perfect counterbalance to the single "Tightrope Ride", where it's Manzarek who, with flair manipulating his Hammond C3, dedicates a heartfelt thought to his long-time traveling companion with a very intense text ("You're on a tightrope ride, nobody by your side - Well, you're all alone, gotta find a new home - (...) And we're by your side, but you're all alone - Like a Rolling Stone, like Brian Jones - On a tightrope ride" = "You're on the tightrope, there's no one by your side - But you're all alone, you have to find a new home - (...) We are close to you but you're all alone - like a rolling stone, like Brian Jones - On a tightrope ride"). Without a doubt, the peak moment is represented by the Latin freshness of "Ship With Sails", where the alternation of guitar and organ solos elegantly blends with Francisco Aguabella's percussion, whom the great Dizzy Gillespie referred to as the "John Coltrane of congas". To convey the disorientation (mostly musical) of the surviving trio comes "Wandering Musician" where it's the piano that leads the piece and brings us to the rhythmic pleasure of "Hang On To Your Life", which, if the lyrics recall the Morrisonian writing, we would have never expected to hear it on a record under the name The Doors.

The seventh studio work of the Doors - except for the compilation "13" of November 1970 -, proves to be accessible and moderately complex, resulting in a natural outlet of creative expression for three artists whose primary intention is to entertain and certainly not to surprise. An album that, if it had been created by a debut band, would have undoubtedly gained the interest of the specialized press, while flaunting as protagonists those who managed to magically filter a sound where the unknown, disorientation, and trance were finely bound by the creative genius and the unbridled interpretation of the poète maudit who had left them too soon, facilitates the unease of those who still dutifully celebrated the rise of the Lizard King and his kin.